Modified Thinning Technique for Transmission Electron Microscopy

Transmission electron microscopy of thin metal specimens has been extensively applied to the study of defect structures in pure metals and also in certain alloy systems. Frequently these studies have been performed on specimens which have been reduced mechanically to a thickness of 1 to 10 mils and then heat treated. This is not a realistic approach when it is essential to observe the structures as they occurred originally in the bulk condition; the techniques of thinning must not destroy existing structures nor create new ones. Certainly it is quite important to limit the degree of mechanical thinning in order to avoid deforming the specimen, but then it becomes necessary to devise a supplementary thinning method which satisfies the stated requirements.